Cayman is a chic destination in the Caribbean that is famous for its wonderful cuisine, high quality hotels, excellent service - and some of the best beaches in the world. It’s a perfect vacation spot for rest and relaxation - walk barefoot in the sand, explore the sea, sample seafood, sip rum and let the tension fall away! But there is so much more!

This destination has three times the excitement - because it comprises not one, not two, but three distinct and beautiful islands with a huge range of vacation options and activities.

The island of Grand Cayman is the main tourist destination, where you will find cosmopolitan, barefoot luxury. It is famous for Seven Mile Beach, one of the best beaches in the world. No motorized vehicles are allowed and vendors are not permitted – so it also one of the Caribbean’s most relaxing beaches.

Grand Cayman is where you will find another famous Cayman attraction – Stingray City - where you can dive or snorkel with the stingrays. The Island also has lots of festivals and events from Pirates Week to Taste of Cayman!

Camana Bay on the island of Grand Cayman is a new pedestrianized development and a great way to explore the excellent Cayman restaurant scene. Each Wednesday Camana Bay has a Flavour Tour where visitors get a taste of all that the area restaurants have to offer. You can visit the Farmers & Artisans markets as well as the boutique shops, movie theatre and gardens.

The Island of Cayman Brac, by contrast, is almost uninhabited. It is ideal for birdwatchers, hikers, scuba divers and naturalists and it is geared towards the adventure traveler. Whereas Little Cayman is a renowned diving location with the challenging Bloody Bay Wall, so it is popular with nature travellers and divers.

In reality – divers can’t go wrong wherever they stay in Cayman as it is one of the top dive destinations in the world. The crystal clear waters offer world-class scuba diving as well as snorkeling – and uniquely, one of Grand Cayman's foremost dive attractions is accessible to both. The USS Kittiwake lies in shallow waters on the north end of world famous Seven Mile Beach.

Cayman offers divers pristine walls, fascinating shipwrecks and an unrivalled variety of marine life at more than 365 dive sites – one for every day of the year! There are professional dive operations spread throughout the island trio. As well as great diving there is fabulous windsurfing, fishing and fantastic water sports throughout the islands.

Families, couples and groups of friends will all find the Cayman Islands offers them all the ingredients they need for a wonderful vacation. And no wonder that The Cayman Islands are also very popular for weddings, honeymoons and vow renewals. The accommodation is first class, the service is excellent, the cuisine is exceptional and Cayman provides the perfect combination of quiet relaxation and exciting activities.

No matter what time of year you visit the Cayman Islands there is a packed calendar of festivals and events. This is an island nation that knows how to have a good time and enjoy the good things in life! So whether you are tasting the very best Caribbean cuisine on offer, or discovering your “inner pirate” during Pirates Week – there is always something going on. Here are a few highlights:

Cuisine

Cayman Cookout (January 10-14, 2018)

Held annually at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, Cayman Cookout is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2018. Each year Michelin-star chef Eric Ripert brings the world’s best chefs and sommeliers together for a four-day epicurean event.

A roster of world famous chefs and food legends, like Anthony Bourdain and José Andrés, come to Cayman for rare wine tastings, chocolate and food demonstrations (many held right on the beach), tours, dinners and much more.

The event has even hosted numerous Canadian chefs over the years including Paul Rogalski, Lynn Crawford, Dale McKay and Martin Picard. Other chefs in 2018 will be Daniel Boulud, Rick Bayless, Sean Brock, Robert Irvine and Emeril Lagasse.

Taste of Cayman (typically a week or so after Cayman Cookout - end of Jan/early Feb)

Taste of Cayman follows on from Cayman Cookout and is one of the largest events in Cayman. This annual event is held at Camana Bay and brings together the island’s best restaurants, chefs and food experiences in one place.

Visitors can sample food, cocktails, rum and desserts at various tents and then take in numerous “tribute band” concert experiences. The open-air event attracts in excess of 4,000 people to sample and savour at over 40 booths. A celebration of Cayman’s diverse food and drink scene, the event’s coveted “Best of” awards are also given out, including “best restaurant”, “best booth”, “best drink” and more.

Restaurant Month (October 2017)

Enjoy dining at some of Cayman’s best restaurants at value-for-money fixed prices during the month of October. Plus Cocktail Week – a celebration of all things sip-worthy in the Cayman Islands - takes place Oct 20-27, 2017. Cayman Islands cocktail masters preside over interactive events like “make your own Gin” or going on a historical cocktail tour. And Cocktail Week cocktails are available on menus throughout the entire month of October to coincide with Restaurant month.

Culture

Pirates Week (November 9-13, 2017)

This 10-day festival, held each November, begins in Grand Cayman's capital, George Town, with a pirate invasion, when two old-time sailing vessels loaded with "pirates" sail into the harbor.

Batabano (May 2-6, 2018)

Batabano is the name of the Caribbean Carnival held in George Town. This is a true Caribbean tradition with a display of music, dance and colourful costumes. The event features street dances and parades for adults and children.

Sports

Cayman Islands Intertrust Marathon (December 3, 2017)

The marathon, held every December, takes participants through the vibrant capital city of George Town, along the breathtaking waters of the Caribbean and through the beautiful flora and fauna of the Cayman Islands.

Flowers Sea Swim (First week in June, 2018)

The Flowers Sea Swim celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017. This one-mile open water swim is popular among Caymanians, visitors and Olympians alike! Participants swim along Seven Mile Beach.

Your Cayman Islands vacation can be as quiet or as action packed as you want. There are a host of attractions and unique activities to keep you on the go. As well as many different ways to explore the sea – from the Atlantis submarine to Stingray City, there are also many fun filled adventures on land. Here are a few highlights:

Culture

The QEII Botanic Park was opened by the monarch herself and includes gardens, a lake, breeding centre and habitat for the indigenous and endangered Blue Iguana.

Pedro St. James is a restored 1780 plantation house, the oldest-known stone structure in the Cayman Islands and the “birthplace of democracy”.

The National Gallery showcases artworks by everyone from international photographers and painters to local artists like the Native Sons – a group of renowned Caymanian artists.

The Cayman Islands National Museum on the waterfront in George Town is the oldest building in the Cayman Islands. It has been used as a jail, courthouse and postal office and currently houses artifacts and national treasures that highlight the history and people of the Cayman Islands.

Adventure on land

Cayman Crystal Caves opened recently on the Northside of Grand Cayman and allow the visitor to venture into amazing stalactite and stalagmite crystal structures. The unique caves and surrounding tropical forest area can be explored on guided tours.

One of the newest activities on Seven Mile Beach is the Segway tour. A 90-minute tour takes Segway riders around the island both on pavement and on the sand. Starting from downtown George Town, the tour features stops at Camana Bay town centre and around the popular Seven Mile Beach area, where beach time and refreshments are available.

The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame exhibit at the National Museum displays some of the most intriguing and unique pieces that reflect the growth of the scuba diving industry over the past 15 years. The exhibit will run until November 2017.

Water activities

Top of every visitor's list is an excursion to Stingray City, an extraordinary 12-foot dive site and adjacent sandbar. In as little as two to six feet of water everyone - with or without snorkel gear - can feed and touch the friendly Southern stingrays. The local captains who personify the mariner tradition of the Cayman Islands have made the trip for years. They'll regale you with lore, a beach lunch and perhaps a few tunes. Private charters are also available.

The Cayman Islands are one of the top scuba diving destinations in world, but with Atlantis Submarines, you don't have to be a scuba diver to experience the underwater world. The 48 passenger Atlantis Submarine offers a unique option by which anyone can experience the underwater world.

You can choose the captivating experience of a real submarine dive, in air-conditioned comfort, while discovering the coral canyons and brilliant tropical fish of Cayman's National Marine Park to depths of 100 ft. Day time and Night time dives are offered.

Alternatively, The Seaworld Observatory is a 40 passenger Semi-Submarine, designed and built specifically for Atlantis Inc. for viewing the shallower reefs. Guests simply descend into the observatory and enter a wall-to-wall glass-viewing chamber five feet below the surface, gazing at teeming shallow reefs and shipwrecks.

The Cayman Islands can be more affordable than you think with a wide range of accommodations to choose from – from 5-star hotels and resorts to spacious condos and villas.

You will find many major hotel brands including the Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, Westin, Kimpton, Sunshine Suites and Comfort Suites. In addition there are plus various condos such as The Caribbean Club or Pantana as well as villas and dive lodges.

Many hotels offer extensive children’s programs. The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman features an “Ambassadors of the Environment” program created by Jean-Michel Cousteau. Children’s programs at many hotels include painting, games, sand castle competitions, treasure hunts, arts and crafts and more.

Condo product is plentiful in the destination, offering families and groups all the luxuries of a lavish vacation with the coziness and freedom of a home away from home style getaway.

Here are a few of the latest developments:

Grand Cayman

Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa

The Kimpton Seafire Resort & Spa opened in November 2016. The design-driven resort features 266 rooms including 3-private beach bungalows with sweeping ocean views and a penthouse Presidential Suite. Beach bungalows house six separate suites, many with kitchens, making them ideal for multi-generational family groups travelling together. For kids, there’s plenty on offer like movies under the stars and complimentary dining for children under five in the main or beach restaurants.

The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman renovated all 365 rooms and numerous public spaces in 2014 and added a new kids waterpark called Starfish Cay and a Culinary Theatre that offers cooking classes.

Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort

The Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort unveiled its ‘Beach House’ experience with refreshed rooms and public spaces with a relaxed vibe. Programming includes wellness activities like “Dark Night” (intention setting event during the full moon that features smoking sage, healing stones, stargazing and atmospheric DJ beats) and amenities. Anchor & Den is a popular meeting spot and has a great weekly breakfast and Sunday brunch scene.

The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa

The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa, is currently completing a major $50 million renovation including a complete redesign of the lobby, pool area, retail and meeting spaces and rooms.

Margaritaville Grand Cayman Beach Resort

The new Margaritaville Grand Cayman Beach Resort has just opened. The 285-room resort is on Seven Mile Beach and features an open-air lobby, License to Chill bar, Margaritaville Coffee Shop, Banana Wind Care, swim-up bar, charcuterie and signature restaurant, YARA.

Cayman Brac

Cayman Brac Beach Resort

In Cayman Brac, the Cayman Brac Beach Resort has added a new bar and lagoon-style oceanfront swimming pool. Cayman Brac Beach Resort is situated on four and a half acres of beautiful milky-white beachfront property. Located on a private beach on the southwest end of Cayman Brac, Cayman Brac Beach Resort’s architecture reflects the quaintness and charm of the Caribbean. Family-owned and operated, the Beach Resort boasts 40 spacious, and tastefully decorated beach view rooms. It caters extremely well to divers.

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